Reunited With That One Boy
by LordLenne
Summary: Sequel to "That One Boy." Four years have passed since Lucas and Claus moved to Fourside. Taking the chance to return to Onett, they reunite with Ness and Ninten, and begin to spend the rest of their joyful lives together. NessXLucas, shounen-ai/yaoi. Will contain future M elements.
1. Past Memories

**Lenne: **I will warn you that it starts out sad and becomes somewhat more sad later. For those with a tender heart, I warn you to tread carefully with a pillow and maybe some tissues.

Any questions about Lucas and his past will be most likely answered in Ch2 and/or Ch3. If you're confused about their ages, they'll be explained next chapter, although it's somewhat easy to find it here.

So for now, enjoy!

Change: Lucas has glasses now.

* * *

Chapter 1: Past Memories

_"Mom, no! Don't die, please!"_

_"I'm...sorry, honey..."_

_"Mom! Damn it! You asshole!"_

_"Urgh!"_

_"Claus, stop!"_

_Thud, thud_. _"This is the police; we've received your call, open up!"_

"_Claus, get the door, hurry!"_

_"Mom, mom...please...mom...?"_

_"Hinawa! Hang on!" _

_"Mom!"_

_"Mom...!"_

_"Is this him?"_

_"Yes, take him, and get my wife to a hospital, quickly!"_

_"Get the medics in here, now!"_

_"Mom...please, stay awake..."_

_"M...om..."_

...

...

...

"Lucas, wake up."

"Mmf...mm?"

My eyes opened slowly. Claus was above me, looking worried.

"You okay?" he asked.

"...Yeah," I whispered. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"You were whimpering in your sleep again," he mentioned.

"..."

"...It's mom again, isn't it?"

"...Yeah..."

Claus sighed. "Did the counselor even help you with anything?"

"...Not really."

Claus sighed, and paused. Then, he rubbed my head. "It'll be all right. Come on, we're gonna be late for class if we don't leave in thirty minutes. Go shower and we'll get breakfast on the way." He walked away and closed the door.

I felt like going back to sleep. But, for the sake of education, I had to get up now.

I grabbed my cellphone from the counter on my left and peeked at it. One new message.

From Ness.

...

Four years have passed since we left everyone in Onett. Who would have thought that so much would happen in one month? It was the one month that I wanted to relive. Because ever since I met that one boy, my whole life felt like it was going to change.

And it did, and it had never made me so happy and sad before.

I took a look at the message:

_"Mornin' Luke! You doin ok?"_

I made a small grin and replied to his message. Then, I closed it and left the phone on my pillow. I got out of bed, removed my sleepwear, and went to the bathroom with a towel. I spent about fourteen minutes in the bathroom cleaning up, then hurried back to my room to put on a yellow shirt, a new pair of briefs and then jeans, gray socks and red-white tennis shoes. Finally, I grabbed my phone, backpack, and my red-rimmed glasses.

Before I reached the entrance of my room, I touched my neck. I was missing something. I went back to my bed and reached under the pillow to grab something. When I found it, I pulled it out. It ringed in the air as I looked at it.

A silver-lined necklace with a golden sunflower locket. It was holding a dear photo of my soulmate and I together.

I quickly put it on and walked out of my room. I met Claus leaning against the door of our apartment, waiting for me to approach closer as he stared at his phone. I would have assumed he was talking to Ninten, since he was the most likely person that he would be texting.

"You got everything?" Claus said as he continued to press buttons.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked up and down his figure, trying to remind him if he forgot anything. "Did you get your glasses case?"

"Yeah, I..." he reached into his jacket pocket, searching within it. "...Crap." Claus shut his phone and hurried into his room to find it. Sighing, I opened the door and looked at the outside world.

A two floor apartment surrounding a small flower garden of roses—not the best scenery, but it was the best we could afford.

I walked downstairs to the ground level and watched Claus exit our apartment and lock the door. He hurried down with me and we walked to his car.

"So, did you finish the math homework?" He asked, wiping his glasses with a handkerchief.

"Yep," I said. "...Did you?"

"Of course," he said. He put his silver glasses on and put away the black case. "What, did you expect me not to?"

"Well, given how lazy you are..." I commented.

"Hey, you know I changed. Homework first, then online games."

"...So, which problems didn't you finish?"

"...All except number one," he replied proudly.

"You better hope Mr. Sartor doesn't look at the homework."

"Given how he never takes it up, I don't think so."

"You might never know though." We reached Claus' gray car.

"Whatever, just get in." I giggled and we both entered the vehicle. He started it up and we left the parking lot and onto the paved road.

"So, what'cha wanna eat?" he asked.

He knew what I wanted.

"...Omelets," we both said.

Claus chuckled. "To Jimmy's it is."

Jimmy's—the breakfast restaurant that everyone in Fourside loved.

I continued to watch us run on the road. I attempted to keep my mind blank; all of my focus was directed at the scenery of the suburban life of Fourside: free open fields, evenly placed houses and buildings, and few people wandering the sidewalks. Despite the city life beyond the small area where Claus and I resided in, the relaxing landscape of Fourside never failed to make me continue to believe that we were living peaceful lives.

Then, memories flashed through me again.

A bloodied chest. Saddened eyes. My voice cried for my dying mother.

Then my voice cried for my lost father.

And then my voice cried for my tired pet.

"Lucas?"

I perked up. "Huh?"

"I said, did you want orange juice or milk?" He asked me this question every time we neared the entrance of Jimmy's restaurant. As expected, I found ourself at the drive-in of the restaurant.

"Milk," I answered.

He acknowledged my reply and slowly drove the car forward as the rest of the customers left the drive-in stations. Claus ordered at the respective spot and paid, and as we continued, we obtained our breakfast. I held the bag of food as we returned on the way to our next destination.

College.

We arrived at the school's parking lot and exited the car. I gave Claus his plate of omelets and his orange juice as he checked his brass watch.

"Well, we made it on time," he mentioned.

"That's good," I commented.

I walked along with him as we headed towards the entrance of the buildings. We passed by other students chatting and enjoying life on campus grounds, laughing, playfully hitting, and sometimes serious frustration. Above all, they all looked like they loved being here.

The walk to class with Claus was usually silent unless one of us brought up topics, which we would have done by now. Nearing the hall to the math class, we still haven't said anything about a life lesson, homework mistake, or even a corny joke.

I didn't want to say anything anyways. My mind was still left thinking about the past years.

Six years ago, when I was just a fourteen year old boy, I met that one boy who changed the rest of my life.

Two years after then, we spent the happiest moments of our lives with each other. Then, I had to move to a new town because of Dad's new job.

Then, two years after that...

...

_"Who the hell are you?!"_

_"Don't move! Or I'll shoot you right now!"_

_"Don't hurt them!"_

_"Tyler, just calm down, and drop the gun."_

_"As hell I would! You ruined my life! And now I'm going to ruin yours!"_

_"Watch out!"_

_BANG!_

_"M-Mom!"_

_"You bastard!"_

_"Stop—ugh!"_

_"Mom, no! Don't die, please!"_

...

Before I knew it, I hit a door.

"Oof!" I cried. I rubbed my head to calm the harmed spot.

Claus sighed. "Did you not see that or something?"

I blushed. "Sorry, I blanked out."

"From what, thinking about Ness?" he said as we walked into the classroom.

"...Maybe," I replied. Speaking of Ness, I checked for a message from him. From seventeen minutes ago, he replied.

_"Thats good. Is everything ok?"_

I thought how to reply. Then, I made my message.

_"Yeah, the therapy is helping. I'll be fine."_

I lied to him.

I've visited the college crisis counselor a few times last week after continuously reliving my past within my mind. The events were so horrible back then—a nervous breakdown, a sudden stream of tears, and a few days of being silent. I didn't know how I couldn't control myself back then. Despite all the help I got, I was still having episodes of depression. Grayscale recordings of Mom's murder, Dad's running away, and Boney's old-age death kept replaying. Each event happened all so fast, and they had all shattered my heart.

The only person who's heart still stood strong was Claus. He braved through each agonizing truth in order to take care for me. Despite the downfall of our family, he never left me. He was the only family I had left. For the next two years after those events, we lived on mom's life insurance and dad's leftover funds and stayed in a cheap, yet comfy apartment so that all the money wouldn't die quickly. Our life was easygoing from then on, but Claus didn't cease to watch over me.

I admired Claus for keeping an eye on me after each tragedy that came by. I admit I did have some feelings of love for him at one point, but I overcame those thoughts and only thought of Ness from then on. If I were to ruin our kinship any further...who knows what I would be like right now?

I pushed all of those thoughts away and sat down with Claus. We pulled out our math books, journals, and pencils, ready for the class.

An hour later, math class ended. I stretched my arms and waited for Claus to state his later plans.

"I'm gonna be at the pool," he said.

I nodded, "And you know where I'll be," I told.

"Yeah," he replied. "You going to come swimming after you're done?"

"Maybe," I answered.

"All right then." We both exited the classroom and we headed our separate ways. Claus made his way through the campus to the pool, while I ascended to the third floor and went to see the counselor.

I opened the door, and the counselor was at her desk.

"Ah, Lucas," she said. "Go on and have a seat." She was writing down a few notes on some stacks of papers.

I did as told and set my bag down by the exotic sofa, and sat down.

"So, how are you today?" she asked.

"I'm doing well," I responded.

"Good, good." She finished her current work, grabbed the items she needed and then came over to sat on the chair across from my position.

"So, Lucas, have you been having your 'episodes' recently?" she asked.

I nodded, "This morning."

"What about?" she wrote a few things down on her clipboard.

"My mom's murder. And then my dad running away because of it. And then my dog dying."

"So, all of them in just one moment?" she inquired. I nodded. "Well, Lucas, it seems you're still in shock." She wrote a couple more notes. "Hm, tell me, is there any thought that helps calm you down?"

"Such as?"

"You know, things that relax you. Like flowers, or the ocean."

"Not really," I said.

"How about any person that makes you feel safe? Other than your brother, of course."

"...Ness."

"I'm sorry?"

"Ness, my boyfriend."

"Oh, I never knew you had a boyfriend," she responded. "Did you just meet him?"

"No, I met him six years ago."

"Six years?" I nodded. "Where is he right now?"

I nodded. "He lives all the way across Eagleland in Onett."

"_Onett_?"

"Yes. Four years ago, I had to move here because of my dad's new job. We could only be together for two years."

"I see. So, do you still love Ness?"

I smiled, thinking about him. "I do."

"And why's that? It's been so long," she stated.

"Yes, but he was the one person that changed the rest of my life. If I had never met him, I would still be some shy kid who couldn't talk enough to make a friend. I always stood by him for those two years, and he changed me. He showed me how to be more outgoing, and I did."

"Uh huh," she mumbled. "Do you want to see Ness right now? Do you think he can help you overcome your 'episodes'?"

When I thought about it, it was possible. All the sadness in my mind could be erased with happiness. The only happiness right now was Claus' protection. But if I could just see Ness again...

"Yeah, I believe so," I replied.

"So then," she continued, "if you were to move back to Onett alone, would you think Claus would be okay with it?"

I thought about it. "I don't think so."

"And why's that?"

"Claus also has a boyfriend in Onett—his name is Ninten," I stated. "I think he would want to go back to Onett too if he had the choice."

"Hm," the counselor wrote a few more words in her notes. "I think I know how to help you now," she stated.

"How so?" I asked.

"Come back and see me at say, tomorrow four o'clock. Oh, and bring your brother as well."

"My brother?"

"Yes, your brother, Claus. Is it a problem?"

"Not at all, but why does he need to come?"

"What I am going to do later may affect him as well, so I want him to hear the solution also."

"O...kay," I said.

"That's all for now. You can go." She returned back to her desk as I exited the door. As I walked down the stairs, I kept wondering, what would Claus have anything to do to help me? How could he even help?

Then again, it's a counselor. She knows what she is doing. I may as well trust her.

I told Claus that the counselor wanted to see him as well. He also wondered why, but I told him I didn't know. After going through the rest of our classes for the day, we went home and leisured around until the next day. Our classes continued as usual, then at 3:55 I brought Claus along with me to the counselor's office. The counselor saw us by the door, and allowed us to come in.

"Ah, Lucas, Claus," she said, "come here,"

We obeyed and approached her desk, and sat down in the chairs.

"So, I have some news for the both of you. Depending on how you view this, it may be good or bad news."

"Well, what is it?" Claus asked.

She picked up a pile of papers as she continued to speak. "Did you both know that you can transfer to a new college, while keeping your majors the same?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, since we don't have many big towns in Eagleland, all of the college schools' curriculum are nearly coordinated. If you were to change colleges right now, you would probably be on the same objective in your subjects as you are here when you change over to a new college.

"So, by switching colleges," I stated, "are you saying that..."

"Yes," answered the counselor. "Lucas, I believe your boyfriend, Ness, is the only solution to help you get better. Taking or not taking some kind of medication, or just staying here with only Claus isn't going to help you much. So, I called the university in Onett, and after giving them your transcripts and telling them about you, I found out they have two majors available: one for art, and the other for game programming, making it perfect for you to move back to Onett.

"We can move back to Onett and still attend college?" Claus questioned. He looked at me. "That means we can spend time with Ninten and Ness!"

Claus was absolutely right. This was the counselor's plan—to reunite me with Ness so that I can regain my happiness.

"So, are you both willing to pack up everything and move back?" asked the counselor. "I need to call them again and tell them your decision."

"Yes, definitely!" I exclaimed. My heart and body jumped from excitement.

I couldn't believe it—after just four years, Claus and I would finally be moving back to Onett.

That one boy's hometown.


	2. Reunion

Chapter 2: Reunion

_"Mom...mom, please, hang on..."_

_"Lu...cas...Cl...aus..."_

_"Mom, don't speak! Just stay strong!"_

_"...Ah..."_

_"Mom...Mom? Mom!"_

_"Move, move! Get her on here!"_

_"Come on, Mom!"_

_"She's set, go, go, go!"_

_"Lucas?"_

_"No...no...Mom..."_

_..._

_"Lucas?!"_

_"Stop! Drop that knife right now!"_

_"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

_"Lucas!"_

_"Nnn!"_

_"Get a hold of yourself!"_

_"We need to get him to the hospital too. Come on—"_

_"NO, GO AWAY! I WANT MY MOM! I want my Mom...I..."_

...

...

...

"...Huh?"

When I woke up, I met a faint blue in the sky. Then, I saw a small building in front of us. Its purpose was for rest stops.

I took another look around. A nearby road sign alerted me. It said, "Onett: 50 miles away."

I sat up and stretched my body as much as I could. No other vehicle or person was nearby; it was just Claus and myself in this resting area. The first thing I remember was falling asleep around eight or nine in the night. I checked my cellphone's time, reading 7 A.M.

Claus was in his seat, comfortable in his plush pillow and under a fuzzy blanket. As I watched him, he began tilting his head too much to the right. I pushed him with little force to bring him back up-straight, but he woke up seconds later.

"Nn..." He rubbed his eyes open and made a loud groan as he stretched. I giggled at his silliness.

"What're you laughin' at?" Claus responded.

"Nothing," I said.

The moment was silent for a little while. I flipped through my phone's previous text messages to Ness, the recent ones from last night.

It began with, _"Hey Lukey :)"_

_"Hi Ness ^-^"_

_"U busy?"_

_"Yea...studying for a test soon."_

_"Aw, okay, ill leave u alone 4 now."_

_"Noooo, its ok. Im fine."_

_"I dont wanna be responsible for you failing that test ;)"_

_"its fine, its no big deal ^-^"_

_"you can talk to me tomorrow, no worries."_

_"aw ok...i'll ttyl."_

_"g'night Luke :) *kiss*"_

_"g'night Ness~ *kisses back*"_

Ah, the wonders of texting.

"We're almost there," Claus stated, referring to Onett.

"Yeah..." I mumbled.

"Can't wait to see the look on their faces!" he exclaimed.

Neither can I.

What Claus meant was to surprise our boyfriends when we arrive at Onett. I felt guilty thinking how if I were to make Ness feel any shock or ecstasy later when he sees me, but Claus said a surprise reunion is the most romantic reunion, so he says from looking on the internet. I went along for now, which was why I told Ness I was studying last night, when I was really just playing a video game as Claus drove the both of us across the country in his car.

I told Claus we should have flown on airplane to Onett instead, but Claus didn't feel like using a rental car to get around in town; he preferred keeping his current car, too. I suggested our other friends, like Kumatora and Duster, but he didn't want to bother them, even though I felt that they would have enjoyed our return. And our boyfriends were out of the question, since that would ruin the surprise plan.

I looked in the back of the car, reexamining the items stored for our move. Two suitcases full of clothes sat behind our seats. It was only packed with what we could wear in the present; the rest of the clothes had been donated to a charity in Fourside. Other belongings, such as Claus' computer set, his game consoles, my laptop, and then necessary provisions like a pack of water bottles, a small icebox for snacks, and long-lasting favorite canned foods sat in the car seats. Miscellaneous items like first-aid and medicine, college materials such as books, bathroom supplies, fine china, family photos, a laundry basket, and others filled the car's trunk.

Furniture that was foreign to our apartment was given away to friends, or also donated, or just hauled into trash. The only giant item that could fit in the car was a small coffee table, but we didn't need it at all.

Claus left to use the resting area's bathroom and wash his face. Once Claus returned, I also exited the car to use the restroom as well. Arriving back, I took a yogurt bar from the icebag and snacked on it as Claus reassured that everything was in place and safe from the danger of the car's movement.

He got back in his seat and made final checks. Once set, he started the car engine.

"Ready to go?" he asked me. "Just about an hour left till we get to Onett."

"I'm ready," I answered.

And boy, was I ever ready.

We headed back onto the lonely road. I continued playing on my portable game console as Claus drove the both of us. It was a long hour, but once we saw the sign, "Welcome to Onett," I shut off my game and watched the scenery. The beautiful grassy fields full of flower patches, the sight of happy children and adults, and the calmness of peacefully scattered residences made me reminisce everything I missed about this town.

Claus continued to drive and make his away around the town, despite driving around in Onett for the first time. He actually knew where he was going, but I didn't know where he was taking us at all. We had seemed to be heading to a fancy neighborhood; brick walls were home fences, and the two-story houses looked like they had been recently refurbished.

"Where are we going?" I asked Claus.

"Ninten's house," he said.

"Oh," I responded. "But I thought his home was in our old neighborhood?"

"He got his own house like Ness. They both live near each other too, and it's also near the university."

"Is he home?" I asked.

"Well, he doesn't have classes on Saturday, so unless he's out on a walk or something this early, then he should be home."

"I see..." I felt like everything was perfect. Ness and Ninten living close to each other? And near the university too? If we could only live with them now, then not only would educational life be perfect, but our love lives as well.

We continued rolling past cars and streets, until Claus finally made a turn into one particularly stylish neighborhood. The houses were slightly larger than the others, and decorated with more than just plain colors; the windows were also oval and made with fine wood and glass, uncommon to our daily lives.

We finally ceased the car, stopping before the garage of a brick house under a gray roof. Claus quickly got out of his seat and rummaged through the trunk, as if looking for something.

"This is Ninten's house?" I asked, examining the home.

"Yep." He continued looking through the mass of items.

"What're you looking for?"

"A present I got for Ninten," he replied. He took out a white box wrapped with a red ribbon. "Carry it for now," he said to me. We walked to the house door. Claus took out his cellphone and called someone.

"_Hello?_" said the voice.

"Hey babe," Claus said to the phone. "Are you awake?"

"_Yeah, what's up?_"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"_Um, sure, what is it?"_

"Okay, first step, go open your front door."

"_Why?"_

"Just do it."

_"Uh...okay?"_

We waited for the door to be opened as anxiety built up. Sweat began to form all over my body, and my mind almost burst from waiting so nervously. I didn't know why I should be so nervous to meet Ninten again. I've only talked to him for a few times before, so I should be happy wanting to see him again. Perhaps it was the guilt of surprising them that was still getting to me.

Soon, the lock clicked. We jumped at that moment and calmed down quickly, waiting to see the result...

Ninten, with his phone at his ear, had widened eyes when he took a look at us from top to bottom. He had nothing to say from his open mouth. He continued to stare at Claus, making no motion. He continued to be still like so, unable to react.

"..." Claus grinned. "Now, hang up the phone and hug me."

Ninten ended the call.

"**CLAUSY**!" He tackled Claus with so much force that they both fell to the ground.

"Oof!" Claus hit the ground with a loud impact, but despite the pain, he wrapped his arms around Ninten as closely and tightly as he could.

"I missed you, babe_,_" Claus said.

Ninten began his shock, "I missed you so much too—wait oh my god what're you doing here—gah—Clausy don't you _dare _scare me like that again—you should've told me!"

Claus laughed as Ninten continued, "All right, all right, I'm sorry. I just wanted to surprise you. ...You're not mad, are you?"

Ninten smiled, "Of course not." Then, he kissed him. The pleased look on Claus' face told me he was waiting a long time to feel that again.

"Can you get off now?" Claus asked.

Ninten replied, "Nope."

"..." Claus looked at me, begging for help. Still hiding the present behind me, I walked over and tapped Ninten's shoulder.

"Hi," I said to him.

"Lucas!" He got off of Claus and hugged me. "I missed you too!"

"Nice to see you again, Ninten," I said.

"Same here." Ninten loosened his grip and looked at the both of us. "So, what're you guys doing here?"

Claus wrapped an arm around him, "Well, if you don't mind...we're deciding to live here."

"H-Here?" Ninten repeated. "In Onett?"

"Yeah. Lucas will live with Ness, and I'll live with you."

"M-Me and y-you? T-Together?" Ninten's face lit a faint pink.

"That's okay, right?" Claus reassured.

"O-Oh, y-yeah, of course!" he answered.

"You don't sound like it's okay," I stated.

"Well...it's just so sudden, you should've told me so I could've prepare for you guys." Ninten squeezed Claus tighter. "Well, I don't wanna keep you guys out here any longer; come on in!"

As Ninten walked inside, Claus took the present from my back and went up to him. "Ninten," Claus called.

"Yes?" he responded.

"I got something for you." He held the box out, surprising Ninten again.

"Oh, Clausy...! Is this—"

"Yep."

"The thing that—"

"Yep."

"You didn't have to!"

"I wanted to." Claus kissed him again. I suspected that they both knew what was inside the box.

We walked inside Ninten's home. He led us to the living room couch before he walked off to a small hallway.

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna wash up," he stated. He went into another room and locked it. I relaxed on the sofa's cushion as we waited for him. I closed my eyes, and mind drifted off thinking about that one boy...

What was he like right now?

If Ninten were his twin, then he would have somewhat messier hair and a slightly matured face. His eyes would shine a greater shade of charming purple, and he would most likely have the same personality he had four years ago—sensitive, protecting, and loving.

"So what do you think Ness will be like?" Claus asked, as if he read my mind.

"Just like how I always loved him," I replied. "I can't wait to see how much he's changed, though."

"We're gonna go visit him soon, don't worry."

"Really?"

"As soon as Ninten finishes. I'll ask him if he wants to come along."

I made an eager smile, and silently asked Ninten to hurry up. Moments later as Claus examined the house, Ninten came out of the bathroom, wearing a white jacket and blue jeans. Though, aside from the clothing, his older appearance was the same as always—shaggy black hair and a smile of glee to go along with everyday. What I did notice different about him was that he was wearing a silver necklace, something that he didn't have when I first saw his neck minutes ago. I didn't know if it was a locket, since the length sank behind his jacket.

"Okay, now we can hang out," Ninten said.

"Before that," Claus mentioned, "can we go see Ness?"

"Oh, definitely!" responded Ninten. He came over to me and whispered to my ear, "You're going to love how he is right now."

I giggled at the thought. "Okay."

"Where does he live?" asked Claus. "If it's far, I gotta refill my car's gas tank."

"Oh, don't worry Clausy, he only lives four houses away; we can just walk there."

"Oh, that's good." Claus began walking out the front door, with us following behind. After Ninten locked it, we headed west on the sidewalk towards Ness' home. Skipping three houses with ease, we made it to Ness' home: bricks of white color and a blackened roof.

Ninten let go of Claus' arm and skipped to the door, twirling once in the process.

"Silly as always," Claus mumbled.

"Who's silly?" asked Ninten. He kissed Claus' cheek and snuggled up to him. They both chuckled together again.

I grew tired of feeling left out, so I neared my finger to the doorbell. I paused, though, unsure of what to say when we meet. The guilt of surprise was enough, but to bear the remorse without anything to say to him felt more painful.

"Wait, Lucas," Ninten said. "Let's surprise him properly." He pulled out his cellphone and called someone.

"_Hello?"_ said the voice. It sounded just like Ness' voice over the phone.

"Can I come inside your house?"

"_Oh, you're outside? Yeah, you can come in. I'm in my room."_

"Okay!"

Ninten shut his phone, pulled out a key and slid it in the door. Then, he opened it gently.

"Come in, but be quiet," Ninten said. We followed Ninten inside, meeting the contents of Ness' home.

First was the living room. Navy-blue carpet and white walls were the base of the design. In front of us were two plush sofas in a backwards L-shape near the large-sized television, along with a mass mess of video games and consoles on the ground near it. On the left was a small path—the wall was cut in the middle for fancy purposes. On our immediate right was a small hallway. The bathroom was found with one small glance to an open door on the left, and at the end was an empty bedroom, probably for guests.

The tour would have to continue later, as Ninten directed us to sit down and wait while he went to go get Ness. He went into the path on our left, going to the end of the hall and knocking on a door loudly.

"Ness! I'm here!" shouted Ninten.

Music suddenly blared louder from a room, making the conversation between the two boys beyond unclear. In a moment, the music suddenly decreased in volume into nothing, and their conversation became more audible.

"Come out here, I've got a surprise for you," Ninten said.

"What is it?" said the familiar voice. "It's not something explosive like last time, is it? I had to get a new refrigerator because of you."

"Oh, it's much better, don't worry! You'll love it."

"How much will I love it?"

"You might die from happiness."

"...I'm scared now."

"I promise, it's nothing bad!"

"...Fine." A door softly slammed. Ninten appeared from the open gap in the wall, directed his hand at us, and smiled. Immediately, another boy appeared from the gap. When he saw our faces, his mouth dropped, and his eyes widened.

"No way..." he said.

"Guess who came back?" Ninten said.

I stood up so he could get a better look at me. Ness looked like he wanted to jump through the gap right now, but instead he walked out of the hallway and stopped, examining me again.

"L-Luke...?!" he whispered.

I nodded, "I'm back, Ness."

A big grin immediately took over Ness' expression.

"Luke!"

I smiled happily as well. We ran the short distance towards each other, but in the end, he picked me up and spun me around. He held me closely and tightly as I did. When the spinning stopped, we continued to hold onto each other.

"L-Luke...I can't believe you're here!" he said. He pulled away for a moment. "Th-This isn't a dream, right? You're real? You're right here in front of me?!"

"Yes, yes, I'm here!" I said, followed by a small giggle.

"N-No way...I gotta be dreaming," Ness said.

"It's real for sure," Ninten stated.

"I'm here too, you know," Claus said.

"Claus?" Ness questioned. He waved back. Ness took another look at me. "Lucas...you're really here..."

I giggled again, admiring his silliness. "Will this help?" I said, before pulling him down for a kiss. We stood there, lips locked still but fiery passion, for a long while, cherishing every bit of the reunion.

He pulled back to catch his breath. "Luke...I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," I responded.

"But wait, what are you doing here? I thought you said you were studying last night..."

"Sorry, I lied..." I began, "...the truth is...well..."

Claus stood up and walked to us. "Truth is, we were actually on our way to Onett last night. We're going to live here from now on."

"Seriously?!" Ness exclaimed.

"Yep," answered Claus, "we transferred to the university here."

"So where are you gonna be staying?" asked Ness.

Ninten came up to Claus and clung onto his arm. "Take a big guess," he said.

When Ness began to realize what Ninten was implying, he looked at me. "Really? You're—"

I nodded, believing I was on the same page as everyone.

Claus finally made it clear, "I'll be living with Ninten from now on, and Lucas can live with you—if that's okay."

"Oh hell yeah, of course it's okay!" Ness exclaimed as he hugged me tightly.

"Well, why don't we go ahead and catch up with our boyfriends?" Ninten suggested. "Let's go back to my house Clausy, I wanna show you some stuff!"

"Okay, babe," Claus agreed. "I'll get Lucas' suitcase and stuff here later," he said to Ness.

"All right, just tell me when and I'll help bring them."

Claus and Ninten left the house and began walking back to their home. Ness led me to the couch and we sat down together. I stared into his beautiful, purple eyes until he started the conversation.

"So, how's everything?" he asked. "Any problems with college?"

"Not really," I said. "How about you?"

"I've been doing great," he replied. "Still playing baseball, and I'm still a captain."

"I expected nothing less," I said, caressing his cheek. He giggled and kissed my forehead.

"How was Fourside?" he questioned.

"Pretty nice," I answered. "It was peaceful."

"Was" peaceful for sure. That was when I remembered bad memories in an instant. I tried not to show my moment of shock.

"Cool," Ness said.

"How's life in Onett?" I asked.

"Lonely without you," he replied.

"Aw, Ness..." Blushing, I leaned against his shoulder.

"Everything's better now, though...much better." He wrapped me closer to him. We sat still like that for a moment, and it was not only relaxing, but pleasurable. I sniffed his scent; it was way different years ago—it had a masculine feel, and no doubt it fit Ness pretty well. He could see that I was enjoying it.

"Hey," he said. "You're still wearing it." He looked down at my neck, referring to the necklace. I pulled it out and showed it to him.

"Of course," I responded. I held the locket in my hand, remembering the day that one boy gave it to me. Every day after I moved to Fourside, I always looked back at the necklace whenever i felt sad, remembering how much love was put into the necklace. The thought of us together always made me smile.

Ness opened the necklace locket and stared at the picture of us. He gazed at it as if he was under hypnosis, so I couldn't tell if he was enjoying a memory or just blanked out.

"Ness?" I said.

"Oh, sorry. It's just that..." Ness closed the locket and held me closer, "...I missed our early days together."

"Yeah...I do too," I agreed. "But all's better now, right?" I lightly jerked his head closer to me.

"Definitely." He kissed me again, ending it with smiles on both of our faces.

Our time together continued on. After Claus and Ninten spent their reunion together, we went out in Ness' car to eat lunch at a restaurant—Ninten's treat at that. It was an expensive restaurant too, which needed a reservation, so the on-the-door cost was high. I asked Ninten how he was so rich, and it was because he was now an apprentice detective, working undercover for his dad when necessary. He was only an on-call detective, meaning he had to go to work only if other detectives were busy with other things. Regardless whether he was working or not, he was still being paid, and by a large amount at that.

Later, we all unpacked our belongings from Claus' car. I moved my suitcase and my other belongings into Ness' house, sorting them into their appropriate places. The clothes had to be reorganized in Ness' room closet, since that was where we both decided I was going to sleep.

In the evening, Ness decided to create dinner for me, leaving Ninten to cook for Claus. We were in our separate homes for the time, making the night more romantic. And to our surprise, they made omelets for the both of us. However, the first bite I took tasted heavenly. I gorged dinner quickly, almost depressed that there was no more on my plate after finishing, but Ness decided to cook another omelet just to please me.

A black night began to take over the sky, meaning it was time to head to bed. I brushed my teeth and took a bath to wash away the tiring, long day. When I came back into Ness' room, he was sitting on the left side of the bed with only an undershirt and his boxers.

"Ready to sleep?" he said.

"Y-Yeah," I said. I walked closer to him, examining his body in the process. "You don't wear pajamas anymore?"

"Nope, being in my underwear is more comfortable," he answered. "You should try it too."

My face lit a brighter pink. "You just want me in my underwear, that's all."

"Maybe," Ness sang. "You still wear briefs, don't you?"

I looked away, "Maybe."

We both chuckled as Ness ducked under the blanket and tapped the pillow next to him. I climbed into the bed, embracing Ness close with my arms. Ness turned off the lamp on his side and threw an arm around me.

"Hey Luke," he whispered.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Is...everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, what do you mean?" I answered.

"You know...your parents." A few images popped up in my head when he said that word.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I immediately replied.

"Oh...I'm sorry," he said. He hugged me closer.

"It's okay," I whispered to him. "I feel a lot better now that I'm here with you."

"Good." He caressed my cheek gently. "Remember that I'll always be there for you, Luke."

I nodded, "I know."

"And remember that I'll do anything for you," he added.

I giggled, "I know."

Everything was silent again. As Ness continued to caress the back of my head, my eyes began to shut on their own. "Sleepy..." I whispered. Ness placed my head at his chest, accelerating my path to slumber.

"G'night, Luke. I love you." He kissed my head again.

I weakly muffled back, "I love you too. ...Good night."

I blacked out into sleep.


	3. A Sunday Morning

**Lenne: **Okay I'm gonna make this quick as possible. At the moment I'm very tired and so there may be some rush or mistakes, I don't care, I'll fix it later. I just felt like updating RWTOB, because I want to get to the juicy parts ASAP (no pun intended...?).

So here's a small detailed update. Hope you all enjoy~

**Warnings: Implicit nudity.**

* * *

Chapter 3: A Sunday Morning

"_Lucas? You okay bro?!"_

_"I w-want Mom back...I want her back..."_

_"Lucas. Listen."_

_"No! I-I want her b-back..."_

_"It's okay, son..."_

_"N-No...M-Mom...M-Mom..._

_..._

_..._

_..."_

_"...He fainted."_

_"Lucas..." _

_"...Sir?"_

_"Take us to the hospital, please."_

_"Of course, but is your son okay?"_

_"He'll be fine...I hope."_

_"We'll put him on a gurney and check his mental status at the hospital, if that's all right."_

_"Very well, so long as we both can go too. Claus, help me take him."_

_"Okay..."_

...

I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in a certain room. I tried to remember where I last was—that's right, Ness' room—or rather, now _our_ room. I could smell his wonderful scent in the air of the room, and it was ever so intriguing and relaxing.

I turned my head to find Ness missing in bed.

I hurried up, almost worried that he was suddenly missing from my life. After opening the room door, I took in a whiff of one of my favorite food smells.

Omelets.

I followed the air into the kitchen. It was a moderately sized room, even though the hallway space was two people wide. Ness' back greeted me as I approached him. With a spatula in one hand, he kept his eyes on the cooking egg, flipping it and turning parts of it over when necessary. For a moment, Ness turned his head, and he caught me in his sights.

"Oh, good morning Luke!" he exclaimed.

"M-Morning, Ness," I replied. "Is that for me?"

"Of course.." Ness flipped the omelet with one upward swing with the pan, perfectly catching the flattened egg mixture.

I silently gasped in amazement and continued to watch Ness work at the stove. He made a couple more checks with the cooked egg before gently placing it onto a plate.

"Do you want rice or something?" Ness asked.

"S-Sure," I hesitantly answered.

Ness took another plate from the cabinet above him and set it down near a pot of cooked rice, scooping a neat dome onto the plate. Then, he grabbed the two plates full of food and setting on a high counter beside me.

"Well, go ahead and dig in," Ness said. "Oh, and you can eat anywhere you want in this house, just don't make a mess." Ness pulled me in for a quick peck on the lips.

I giggled stupidly before grabbing my two plates of breakfast and headed back to the bedroom, setting them down onto the small table by the bed. I tried to work with the television set behind Ness' computer desk, successfully turning it on, but I was unable to find entertainment on the available channels.

Once I cut a piece of omelet, Ness came into the room with a type of baked turnover in his hand, wrapped in a cardboard sleeve. As he sat down and turned on his computer, he chomped a part off of it. I set my spoon down just to watch him eat the mysterious food.

"Ness, what are you eating?" I asked him.

"Oh, it's called a Hawt Packet," he replied. "It's like a microwavable pizza."

"...Isn't it unhealthy to have pizza in the morning?"

"Well, usually I'd have doughnuts and cinnamon rolls or a breakfast burrito, but I felt like eating a Hawt Packet today."

"...How long have you been eating like this?"

"Since I was thirteen."

I was a little surprised, because if he had been eating such unhealthiness for eight years, I should have seen some fat grow on his body right now. Then, I remembered he was a hardworking baseball player. And, he might have the lucky fast metabolism like others had.

I looked down at my belly. I grew slightly chubbier since we first met.

"Better eat before it gets cold," Ness said.

"Oh, right." I picked up my spoon and took the first bite.

I squealed the same enjoyment from last night.

I continued happily eating without anything else occupying my attention. I ignored the ongoing television, which was flipped through later by Ness, and the running fan of the computer next to me as I munched on the yellow and white fluff on my plates. After finishing, Ness took the plates from my lap and went out of the room with them. I heard a ringing in the kitchen sink before he came back into the room seconds later.

"So, since it's a Sunday," I began, "what do you usually do?"

"It's my day off till classes for the rest of the week, so today, I'd thought I show you around."

"Show me around?" I repeated.

"You know, around this neighborhood, and the university if you want."

"Oh, sure," I replied. "I'd like that."

"Okay, just let me shower first," Ness said. He clicked a few things on his computer before going to his closet and pulling out a towel and a few clothes.

"Or, do you wanna shower with me?" Ness remarked. He looked at me with a sly smile.

I blushed at the idea. Then, I remembered a piece of my past.

We bathed together one time in our younger years. It was an inevitable situation where Ness and I were drenched in mud during a stay at Ninten's summer villa. We were in a hurry to a barbecue party, so we both showered next to each other before jumping into the bath together. And even though Ness helped clean myself up, nothing inappropriate happened.

But right now, I secretly desired a naughty moment, most likely because I wanted to spend some extra close time with Ness.

"...Maybe just this once," I answered.

I followed Ness into the bathroom. He turned on the water and removed his undershirt and underwear with no hesitation.

"Well?" He turned his head at me. "Gonna shower in your pajamas or what?"

"O-Oh, um..." was all I could get out before freezing in place.

He turned and approached me. I tried to resist adverting my eyes by looking to the side. And Ness being a foot away from me made it more difficult.

"You know I don't care if you look," Ness mentioned.

I stood silently, blankly staring at his neck.

He smiled and used a finger to lift my face. "Besides, we're lovers now, aren't we?"

"W-Well..." I managed to say, "...y-yes, but...I..."

Ness chuckled. "You're still shy, aren't ya?"

"N-No I'm not!" I responded.

"Yes you are~" he sang, tickling my cheek.

I made a forced frown and he laughed even more. I wasn't upset at all—Ness frequently made fun of how I was shy back when we were younger. After a seemingly hurtful tease, I playfully cried, and he made it up to me by kissing me or giving me a treat.

"I'm not shy," I grumbled in a playfully lowered tone.

"Prove it then." Ness lifted the flap of my pajama shirt, indicating my next move.

I subtly gulped, and began taking my sleepwear off. Ness turned away to aid my convenience, and returned to the running water. I managed to strip down to my briefs before crossing my arms in an attempt to cover my body. I only stopped there until Ness looked at me again.

"Off," he said, pointing to my briefs.

I could see that he enjoyed the view, but I did as told and slid my underwear off. Then, Ness stepped into the shower and let the water rain on his face. I quickly followed in and allowed a bits of the spray to hit me.

Ness turned around, eyes set with my eyes only. "Can you wash my back?"

I nodded, "S-Sure."

He grabbed the soap, drenched it with water and handed it to me. I lathered his back, and in doing so, I took the time to admire his handsome, almost-tan skin. I had always felt his baby soft skin with every moment we touched, but to caress his back right now was wonderful for me.

I managed to catch a glimpse of his backside. At that moment, I would've said, "Nice butt," but I didn't want to stand out as the perverted one here.

Once I finished, Ness began cleaning me up. I stepped into the spot of the rainwater and rinsed my whole body. This time, Ness cleaned my whole body, avoiding the lower area of my front side, and also lathered my hair. I rinsed everything off while Ness began coating himself in a blue body gel, and within the steamy moisture of the air, I whiffed a powerful masculine scent from it. I switched places with Ness again, this time I only watched as he began to wash the body soap off of him. He rinsed his front side, and turned to rinse his back side. I covered myself as he continued, shutting my eyes and respecting my shy honor. Ness' head was held up high with eyes shut, blinding himself from my naked body.

We switched places once more, allowing me to relax under heated water once more as Ness dried himself off. Then, when I felt I was done, I figured how to shut off the bathwater and Ness handed me a dry towel. With my back facing Ness, I dried myself off and wrapped my towel around me.

"You know, you've grown," Ness stated as we stepped out of the shower.

"Have I?" I questioned. I went up to him. Using my hand, I measured my height and slid forward towards Ness' chin, smiling at the result. "Huh, I guess I did grow."

Ness giggled and began walking off. "I wasn't talking about your height."

He exited the bathroom, leaving me in there for a moment to think about what he had meant. After my face flushed a burning red, I stamped out of the room and found Ness going through the clothes in the closet.

"Pervert!" I exclaimed to him.

He stuck his tongue out at me, leaving me pouting. Then, he approached me and pulled me in for a deep kiss. Because we were both currently only in towels, it only made the moment more enjoyable.

For some reason, I thought Ness would subtly loosen the knot on my towel. But instead, he returned to the closet and pulled out his clothes. When he began putting another pair of boxers on, I grabbed my set of clothes and began putting them on. After we were both fully dressed, we took care of our hair, Ness made sure his hat fit, and I assured that I had my necklace and glasses. Finally, we were ready for the day.


	4. EB Grand Park

**Lenne**: Well! Chapter 4 is finally done. Enjoy!

Also, some JeffXTony in here. And side ClausXNinten, but you know that's already expected.

* * *

Chapter 4: E.B. Grand Park

I took a moment to gaze at Ness' car. It was blazing with azure all over, and sparkled with smooth wax. It looked brand new, but I could tell he had the car for a while.

"Had this for a year now," Ness said as he patted the roof.

"It looks really nice," I commented.

"Yep. You know, his name is Luke." He winked at me.

I blushed slightly, "Really? You named your car after me?"

"Mm-hm. I always made sure Luke always looked sexy." I chuckled at his statement as we both got into the car. I awkwardly settled myself in the passenger seat and waited for Ness to start things. He inserted the keys into the engine and started the car. He reached for the gearshift, but before he pulled it, his phone rang a melody.

"Oh?" Ness questioned. He took his phone out and answered it. "Yeah? Oh, hey Ninten. I'm gonna show Luke around. ...Yeah, the college too. ...All right, sounds good. We'll meet you there later."

Ness hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

"What'd he say?" I asked.

"Ninten is taking Claus to the university so he can make final adjustments for his classes and get an ID. I'll have to take you there also, so you can get your ID too."

"Oh, are we going there now?" I asked.

"Nah, later, around eleven. They're gonna do a tour too. After we're all done, we go to the college together, and then head out for lunch. Sound good?"

"Mm-hm," I nodded.

"Okay then," Ness said. He pulled the gearshift into reverse and started backing the car into the street. After safely landing, we headed out.

"Let's go to the E.B. Grand Park first," Ness said.

"E.B. Grand Park?" I questioned.

"It's this big park near the university. There's a library, and lots of shops and restaurants around the park. Most of the university students go to the park to study or hang out there."

"It sounds lively," I said.

"It is," Ness continued. "There's a lot of parties, especially at night. It's a good thing no one lives around there or else they wouldn't get any sleep at all."

"Do you go to the parties?" I asked.

"Eh, only twice. Ninten goes to the parties a lot though. You could ask him how it's like."

I nodded, and continued to view the scenery until we arrived at a large parking lot. After Ness parked into a spot, I followed him outside. We crossed over the lot entrance onto another sidewalk, already meeting groups of people talking and passing by us or standing around by a coffee shop on our left.

It seemed like the number of people grew dramatically as we headed closer to the heart of the area: a vast, circular green field full of soft grass, tampered by the many adults relaxing or playing within it. Everyone else around the perimeter were near the different sorts of restaurants and shops as Ness described, leisurely living with ease by minding their own business.

Ness gripped my hand and smiled at me, making me blush. "See anything you wanna visit?"

"Oh, uh..." I looked around carefully and only took interest in the colorful neon lights of the shop signs. A pink cup with a funny face persuaded me to consider tasting the sweetness of its beverages.

"How about there?" I said, pointing to the shop.

Ness hummed with interest. "Smoothy Sally's, good choice," he said. We walked into the shop and waited one of the three lines. I watched customers make their orders and they were fulfilled quickly. They left the shop with a smile and a straw between their lips.

It was our turn. We approached the young woman behind the counter. When she saw Ness, she put on a greeting face.

"Oh, Ness!" she said. "Nice to see you."

"Hey Kylie," Ness responded. "Doin' well?"

"Yep!" Then, she looked at me. But in a quick second, her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Is this the guy you've been talking about?" she asked excitedly.

Ness wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me closer to him. "Mm-hm. This is Lucas."

"Oh, nice to meet you!" said the girl. She put her hand on her chest. "My name is Kylie, I'm Ness' classmate in his English class."

I shyly nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," she responded. Kylie turned her hand into a small wall and put it next to her mouth. "You were right Ness, he _is_ cute." Then, she brought her hands up and made a rectangle with her fingers, putting us in a frame. "And you two look _absolutely_ perfect with each other!"

I blushed as Ness chuckled. "Oh, stop it," he said.

Kylie giggled along. "So, what do you guys want today?"

Ness looked up and stared at the menu ahead of us. "Mmm...strawberry-banana smoothie. Medium-size."

Kylie pressed a few buttons on the register. "Okay, and what about you, Lucas?"

"Pick anything you want," Ness said to me.

I looked up at the menu as well. I browsed quickly, discovering that the shop also served various flavors of frozen yogurt, milkshakes, regular coffee, milk, and sweet treats.

I made my choice. "Vanilla milkshake, please."

Kylie pressed one button. "Okay, what size? Small, medium, or large?"

"Medium," I answered. Kylie pressed another few buttons. Soon, a receipt came out of the cash register.

"Huh? I didn't pay yet," Ness said, with one arm reaching in his pocket.

"Consider it on the house, just for you two lovebirds," Kylie said with a wink.

"Won't you get in trouble?" I asked.

"Oh p-shaw, don't worry about me." She turned around to grab two cups from a shelf and made her way to various dispensers, pouring a pink mixture into one of the cups. After she closed it with a lid, she went to a different dispenser and poured white mush into the other cup, and closed it with another lid. Inserting two straws in, she came back and handed us our beverages.

"Here you go, enjoy!" she said.

"Thanks Kylie," Ness said.

"Thank you," I added.

"No problem! You two have fun now!" she waved good-bye to us as we turned around and left the store. As we walked out, I took a sip of the milkshake, squealing at its sweet deliciousness.

"Good?" Ness questioned.

"Mm!" I nodded.

Ness giggled. "Smoothy Sally's is the best here," he mentioned. "Not a lot of people realize it though."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"I dunno, a lot people just don't seem to like smoothies and shakes anymore. They just go for soda." He sipped his smoothie through the straw. "So, where to next?"

We walked around the perimeter of the park, taking a peek at all the buildings, sometimes inside, but mostly outside. As we toured, a few of Ness' familiar friends greeted us—a group of four girls, a boy and girl couple, and some males who were Ness' fans in baseball—and they all had an astonished expression when they met me. Like Kylie, they complimented how well Ness described me, and how great we looked together as a pair. I could only blush madly as Ness continued the conversation until his friends had to leave. After the last friends, we took a break and sat on an open bench together, hidden under a few shady trees and within a cool breeze. I sat close to Ness, and he wrapped his right arm around my neck.

"You talk about me a lot, don't you?" I suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Ness responded, scratching his cheek. "It's because when I first got here, a lot of people admired my ability in baseball, so I got a lot of fans...mostly girls. They tried to ask me out, but I didn't want to reject them bluntly. Instead, I told them I had a boyfriend."

"Just like that?" I questioned.

"Yeah, they were still surprised though." He silently chuckled. "And to my surprise, a lot of the girls here support gay couples, so instead of wanting me to be their boyfriend, they wanted me to tell them about my boyfriend—how smart he is, how kind he was, how he was so cute, and all that."

I playfully glared at him. "You think I'm smart, kind and cute?"

Ness smirked at me. "Of course. And just for the record, you're the _cutest_." He kissed my cheek, making me giggle.

"So what about your guy friends?" I asked them. "Were they creeped out at all knowing that you were gay?"

Ness stared into the open space of the park. "Yeah, they were. Some of them thought I was only their friend just so I could make a move on them. And some other idiots thought I was stupid, or called me a fag, and other names. I didn't really care."

"You didn't?" I inquired.

"Not at all." Ness looked at me gently. "I'm not ashamed of of being gay. I'm not ashamed of being with you either. I let go of that a long time ago."

I knew what he was talking about. He was remembering how he stood up for me in the past, when our friendship was almost ruined by that the work of that one girl—Leila Trevett. It's a good thing none of us heard from her again. Ness mentioned he never wanted to talk about her anymore, so neither of us brought her up.

"I see," I said, grinning. I rested my head on his shoulder and he kissed my head. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the peaceful moment. Unlike being asleep, I was conscious. I could consciously touch Ness' body. I consciously smelled his fragrance. I consciously heard his light breathing as he accepted me. I saw the love he was giving me under my closed eyes. It was a wonderful feeling that I missed experiencing. I was glad I was reunited with him.

"Oh, it's you guys!" Ness suddenly exclaimed. I opened my eyes and saw two familiar males. With matching green vests over different styles white tops and blue jeans, they walked toward us with smiles on their faces. It took me a while to acknowledge they were old friends, until I recognized the blonde hair with glasses, and the brown hair under a simple black hat.

"Good morning Ness," greeted the blonde male.

"Good morning to you too," Ness said.

The other male beamed at me. "Is this who I think it is?"

"Yep, Luke's back!" Ness replied. I grinned at them as I sat back up.

"Oh, wonderful!" he exclaimed. He pointed at himself and motioned the finger back and forth between him and and his friend. "Do you remember us?"

"Of course," I said. "It's nice to see you again, Jeff and Tony."

"It's nice to see you too," Jeff said. "What're you doing back in Onett? And where's your brother, Claus?"

"Claus and I transferred here, so we're living here now," I told them. "Claus is living with Ninten for now."

"Really?!" Tony responded. "Then where are you staying? At the dorms, or an apartment maybe? Or—?"

"He's living with me," Ness answered.

Tony gasped. "No way! D-Don't you have just one bed? Th-That means, you s-sleep toget—oh my goodness! We're not even living together yet, Jeffy! And they're ahead of us!"

"...It's not a competition," Ness mumbled.

"So you two are together now?" I asked.

"Yeah, they're a popular couple," Ness told.

"It's true," Jeff added. "Girls never loved us more than before we were together now. ...Even though they never did before."

"They get quite annoying, though," Tony mentioned. "Sure, I like the gifts they bring, but everyone else just doesn't want to leave me alone with my Jeffy." He hugged his boyfriend tightly.

"H-Hey, hey, save it for later," Jeff whispered.

"Aww, Jeffy, you're still shy," Tony sang. He kissed Jeff's cheek, making him grumble.

"You two sure look happy," I commented.

"You can say that again!" Tony said.

"Yeah..." Jeff said. "So what're you two doing here?"

"Just waiting for time to pass. I gotta take Luke to the university so he can get his schedule." Ness took out his phone and checked the time. "Oh, speaking of which, it's almost time. We've gotta go now."

"Aw, that's too bad," Tony said.

"Don't worry, we'll see each other again," I assured him. I stood up with Ness and we began walking off.

"Take care guys!" Ness called to them.

"You too!" Jeff responded.

Holding each other's hands, we walked back to the car and entered. Ness drove back out onto the road, around the grand park area. It was a short drive, but we arrived at our destination smoothly. As Ness searched for a space to park in the lot, I stared at what I assumed to be the college. Connected by visible hallways, the college itself was very large-scale. As my eyes wandered, I found the name of the college labeled by big letters hanging above multiple glass-door entrances: "Onett University."

"All right," Ness said, parking the car. "We go into the entrance and to the registrar area." He took out his phone and dialed a number; I peeked over and discovered he was calling Ninten. We both exited and began making our way to the entrance.

"Are you both at the office already?" Ness asked Ninten. "...Oh, great! We just got here, we're coming in now."

Ness hung up his phone. "Ninten says they're all done, you just gotta show up and take your photo."

"Oh, okay," I said. As we reached the entrance, we found multiple small black boxes hanging above the door bars. It had a red light constantly shining on the box, like a security system. I looked to my left, finding a unique machine with a sign that says "Guests Admitted Here." We didn't approach it; instead, Ness reached into his back pocket and took out a card hanging from a lanyard. He put it in front of the black box, causing the red light on the box to change into a green color as it beeped. The door clicked, and automatically opened.

"Cool, huh?" Ness commented.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Is that your ID?"

"Yep. Here." He handed it to me. On it was a clear picture of Ness' face. He had a bold smile, which charmed me.

I gave Ness back his ID. I stood close to him as he led me through the grand halls occupied by only few wandering students and staff.

We arrived at a certain section in the building, where a few women were behind counters working at computers. At one station, we saw Claus and Ninten standing by, waiting for us. As we neared, they saw us and waved.

"You're here! Finally!" Ninten exclaimed.

"They didn't take that long," Claus said. He looked at me. "So, I heard you went to the 'grand park?' How was it?"

"It was amazing," I answered.

"No fair, you got to see it first," Claus said, pouting.

"Don't worry Clausy!" Ninten said, patting Claus' back. "We'll be there soon." He turned to Ness. "Where should we eat?"

"Hmm...Pao's Buffet might be a good idea," Ness told him. "All you can eat sushi, fried rice, and stuff."

"Oh? I was thinking more like Krispy Kluck," Ninten said. "Fried chicken and biscuits, you know!"

"That's unhealthy," Ness retorted. "I don't want that grease and fat in me this early."

"_Yet you say that when you ate a microwaveable pizza this morning,"_ I thought.

"Oh don't worry!" Ninten said. "One lunch there wouldn't hurt. Or, we could go to WcJonalds. They have the best hamburgers!"

Ness put a finger on his chin. "Hm...yeah, that works. The fries there are pretty good too—not too crunchy and salty. Doesn't beat Penny's, though. They have better cheeseburgers. Oh, and the apple and chocolate pies are good there too."

"You're making me hungry here!" Claus exclaimed. "Pick something already!"

I left the three of them alone as I approached the lady behind the counter, who was watching us the whole time. She had been expecting me and I didn't want to keep her waiting any longer. I approached and stood calmly.

"So, you're Lucas?" she said.

"Yes," I said with a nod.

"Great. Now, before we take your picture, let me just confirm that these are the classes you want." She pulled out a sheet with a list of class names. I read the list carefully, and made sure that my needed classes were on the list.

"Yep, these are correct," I told her.

The woman rechecked the list. "I see you've taken an interest in art," she said as she put the paper in a copier machine. "How well can you draw?"

"Pretty good," I responded.

"I see. Well, stand behind the black line right there," she said, pointing to the floor, "and just look at the camera with whatever face you want."

I did as told and stood before the line. I focused on the camera and put on my most casual expression—an innocent smile. The woman counted from three to zero as I held my position. After a moment, she took out a card from a compartment and punched a hole through the top, putting a lanyard in it.

"This is your ID," she stated. "You will need this to enter the building as well as other parts when needed. If you lose it you will have to pay a fee for a new ID, just come back here." She pulled out the finished copied paper and handed it to me. "This is your schedule now. If you have questions or want to make a class change, then please call us at the number on the bottom of the paper or e-mail us at the address there."

I checked for the number and e-mail address stated, making sure it was there. "Okay," I said. "Thank you very much."

"You're very welcome. Enjoy your time here." I smiled at her and walked back to my friends, and they had just finished arguing about what place to eat at.

"Ready to go?" Ninten asked.

"Yep!" We began walking together away from the registrar area. "Where're we going now?" I asked.

"We decided on Pao's Buffet," Ness stated.

"Sounds great," I commented.

"So, what about dinner?" Claus asked.

"Well, homemade dinner sounds nice," Ness said. "I'll make Lucas another omelet if he wants."

"That's fine with me," I said, smiling.

"Aw, I want one too," Claus said.

"I'll make you one tonight, don't worry!" Ninten exclaimed.

"What about your dinner?" I asked Ness.

"I'll make my own steak," Ness replied.

"And you?" Claus asked Ninten.

"Duh! Oreos, what else?" he said.

"Geez, Ninten," Ness grumbled. "How many Oreos have you eaten since yesterday?"

"I don't know? I think one three-pound box full."

"Wow," I commented. "That's a lot..."

"No kidding," Claus agreed.

"Well, excuse me for loving Oreos!" Ninten playfully said. After that, we exited the building and met with the outside world.

"So, Luke, how did registering go?" Ness asked.

"Just fine," I replied.

"Can I see your ID?" he questioned. I gave him my ID and he stared at it as we continued to walk.

"D'aww, you look so adorable," Ness commented.

"Oh, hush," I said, blushing.

"No, really!" Ness exclaimed.

"All right, all right," I chuckled. "Now, give it back."

"No way, I'm keeping it," Ness stated. He stuck his tongue out at me.

I opened my mouth, "Wha—?" Then, he began to run away from me. I immediately ran after him. "Ness! Give it back!"

"Better catch me if you want it!" he yelled.

I called back to him. "Ness~!"

_...I swear, my life will always be lively with him._


	5. First Day

**Lenne**: Sorry for the lateness. Here's your next chapter!

Nothing too special, except a little more relationship and a couple other significant things.

* * *

Chapter 5: First Day

The next morning, Ness and I got prepared to head to the university. Of course, we showered again, but no jokes were made so that we could hurry and not be late. Fortunately, we arrived with some time to spare.

We met up with Ninten and Claus at the parking lot. We all walked together within the crowd of students heading through the front gate. Before Claus and I were in the picture, it was just our boyfriends hanging out together. Now as a group, we attracted more attention—classmates of Ness and Ninten glanced at us, making private remarks with their friends. I didn't know whether their comments were positive or negative; I only ignored them as I tried to focus on being ready for my first day at my new university.

According to our schedules, we all had English class together. Ness led us through a few hallways while pointing out a few significant paths as part of a tour. Once we arrived at the classroom door, we headed inside. A man, most likely the instructor, was at a desk in the corner of the room working on a computer, and a few earlier students were at their seats, using their phone or reading a book. As new students, Claus and I had to confront the professor. We walked up to him, with our boyfriends behind us.

"Hello," Claus began.

The professor rolled an eye and then turned to us. "Oh my!" he remarked. "Twins, magnificent! Though...I have not seen your faces before."

"Oh, uh, we're new students here," I calmly said. "We're in your English class now."

"Ah, so you two are my new transfer students," he stated. He checked a letter on the side of his desk. "Claus, and Lucas?" he asked.

"I'm Claus," said my brother. "And this is Lucas."

The man chuckled. "Truly astonishing. I've never seen twins before in my life." He stood up and extended out his hand. "I'm Professor Farrell, but you can just call me 'Mr. Farrell.'"

"Pleased to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. Then, he shook Claus' hand.

"So, where did you both come from?" asked Mr. Farrell.

"We came from Fourside," Claus answered.

"All the way from Fourside!" he exclaimed. "Well, that must have been quite a trip."

"It was long and boring, but it was worth it," Claus added.

Mr. Farrell looked at his watch. "Well, I'd love to chat some more, but class is about to begin. Please take your seats—uh, anywhere is fine."

Ninten and Ness waved at us from their seats. We went over and sat with them. After waiting for a few more students to arrive and take their seats, Mr. Farrell closed and locked the door, and then made his way to the podium in front of the whiteboard.

"Okay class, get out your books and turn to page 184—" Mr. Farrell paused and looked at us. "Oh, do you two have the class books?" He raised the class book in his hand. As expected of a similar curriculum, it was the same book we currently had.

"Oh, yes sir," Claus answered. We pulled out our books, turning to the page and listened to the lectures.

* * *

...

"I really hate British Literature," Ninten said as we walked out of the class.

"What, too boring for you?" Claus asked.

"Yep! I swear, why do we even need classes for it? It's not like we're going to have a daily conversation about it." Ninten sighed.

"Just live with it Ninten, it'll be over before you know it," Ness stated. "So, what's next for you guys?"

Claus checked his schedule. "Math in an hour, and then history right after."

I pulled out my schedule and examined it. "Art in an hour, then biology."

"Wow, we don't get to meet again until lunch," Ninten stated.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do after baseball, so I guess we can all hang out after we're done with classes today," Ness suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Claus. "So, uh, where do I go for Math?"

"Lemme see, Clausy," Ninten said, taking Claus' schedule. "Oh, Mrs. Phan! She's really nice...hm, idea!" Ninten ran in front of us and smirked. "Ness, how about we give them a quick tour for the next hour?"

"Sure, why not?" Ness shrugged his slipping backpack back onto his shoulder. "Where should we go first, though?"

"How about the café for starters?" Ninten suggested.

"All right." Claus and I looked at each other, unaware about the university's "café." Instead of questioning, we followed them without hesitation. They led us to a large restaurant already half-filled with students. Many were at tables, enjoying a nice meal or a beverage, socializing with each other or studying on their own.

"Seems lively," Claus commented.

"It is, a lot of students come here to hang out in-between classes," Ninten stated. He walked over to the main counter, where a girl approached Ninten with a smile.

"Oh, hey Ninten!" said the girl.

"Hi Rosie," replied Ninten.

"What can I get for you?" she asked.

"Oh, my usual yogurt please." The girl made a few presses on the cashier to her right. Ninten looked at us. "Want anything, guys? It's on me."

"I'm okay," Ness answered.

Claus and I looked up at the menu. The list was filled with many kinds of desserts and beverages.

"Uh...I'm fine," Claus said.

A certain item caught my eye. "Can I have a vanilla milkshake?"

Ninten turned to the girl, "One vanilla milkshake please." She pressed another button.

"Is that all?" Ninten nodded and proceeded to pay with a debit card. After the payment was done, the girl pulled a yogurt cup out of a nearby refrigerator and handed it to Ninten.

"Yay~" Ninten sang.

The girl turned to me, "I'll get you your milkshake in a minute." She turned around and worked on a machine while I waited beside the counter. Ness stood by my side and smiled at me.

"You really like vanilla milkshakes, huh?" Ness asked.

"Mm-hm!" I nodded at him.

"Well, you should try _my _milkshake," Ness suggested.

"Oh, you can make vanilla milkshakes?"

Ness grinned, as if almost holding back a giggle. "...Yeah."

I didn't understand why he acted like that. I would have considered figuring it out until I heard a conversation from a nearby table. Two boys and a girl were discussing a peculiar situation that was occurring on this campus.

_"So, did you guys hear about the Soda Drug going around the university?"_

_"What Soda Drug?"_

_"Apparently it's some new pill that no one knows where it came from. Supposedly if you try it you'll feel really great, but after the effects are gone you get a really strong craving for lots of soda."_

_"Is that why it's called the Soda Drug?"_

_"Yeah. One of my friends said he tried it and drank like, five liter bottles of fizzy soda. I thought his bladder was gonna explode!"_

_"Oh, but I really like soda. Where can you get the drug? I wanna try it."_

_"I don't know, some people say they got it from a random person. No name, no description."_

I looked at them, though not trying to be obvious about eavesdropping.

"Oh, so that's why people are wanting a lot of soda these days," Ness said.

"That drug sounds really dangerous," I stated. I looked at Ness. "You don't take drugs, do you?"

"Of course not! I know better. Besides, I wouldn't want to influence you." Ness patted my head, making me smile.

The girl returned to the counter and placed a plastic cup full of white mush onto the counter. "One vanilla milkshake, enjoy!"

I gave her my thanks and walked out of the café with Ness. As we exited, we witness Ninten feeding Claus a spoonful of yogurt.

"Aw, how cute," Ness teased.

Claus quickly swallowed. "Sh-Shut up, Ness! I-It's not like I asked him to feed me or anything!"

"But Clausy, you did," Ninten said.

Claus blushed and quickly chopped Ninten on the head. "You shut up!"

"Owwie!" Ninten playfully cried.

Ness and I laughed at them. "So anyways," Ness said, "After we finish our classes today, why don't we all go to the park?"

"Sounds great," I said.

"Definitely," Claus agreed.

Ninten finished rubbing his head. "All right, we'll meet at the entrance around 1:30 P.M. Sound good?"

"Fine with me," Ness answered.

"Mm-hm," Claus and I agreed.

"Well, if we've got nothing else to do now, I wanna go to my next class now," Claus stated.

"Well, Math is over that way," Ninten pointed to a far hallway. "We'll have to go through that way to get to the math building."

"Where's my art class?" I asked.

"Oh, since it's art, it's next to the athletics building," Ness answered. "I can take you there."

"I guess this is where we split then," Ninten said. He took Claus hand and they began walking off. "We'll see you guys later!"

"Take care!" Claus exclaimed to me. When their backs were at us, Ness took my hand and began leading me to another direction. We walked down a long hallway, passing by curious students questioning or admiring our relationship, and outside the main building. Within a second I could see large playing fields surrounding two buildings ahead of us. There was a football field, a soccer area, tennis courts, and a baseball field. The buildings, which made a square shape, looked like they isolated something in its insides since they were stopped at the center. I could see a blue field within the area, which I presumed to be a swimming pool since this was an athletic area.

"So, where do we go?" I asked Ness.

Ness pointed to the building on our right, which was slightly smaller than the other construction. "That's the art building. Beside it is the athletics department."

"Oh, I see," I said. "What's inside the athletic building?"

"Oh, simple classrooms and locker rooms for each sport. We go in a classroom when we're being taught strategies or some workout plans. The rest of the rooms are locker rooms or sports equipment." Ness pointed to the baseball field, and then the art building, which was next to it. "You know, if you get a classroom with a window, you might be able to see me play."

"I'd like that," I said. "Though, I hope i don't get too distracted by your sexiness."

Ness giggled, "Well I can't help being damn sexy." He kissed my cheek as we continued walking. We headed inside the art building and looked for my classroom according to my schedule. Eventually we found the room, which only contained the teacher. She perked up once she saw us at the door.

"Oh, may I help you?" she kindly questioned.

"I'm a new student here," I told her. "I believe I have this class."

"Ah, you must be the transfer student, Lucas?" she asked. She extended out her hand and I shook it. "I'm Ms. Atkins, it's nice to finally meet you." She looked at Ness. "Oh, are you a new student here too?"

"Oh, no, I'm just here to drop my boyfriend off," Ness stated.

"Ah, how sweet of you," Ms. Atkins replied. I noticed she didn't looked surprised when Ness said "boyfriend."

Ms. Atkins turned to me, "So Lucas, I've seen the artwork you've made at Fourside, and I was really impressed."

"Really?" I asked.

"Mm-hm. Out of my current students you seem to have a wonderful understanding of art. Though I've noticed that you based some of your work off a certain male character." She looked at Ness, and then gasped. "And now that I think of it, he looks just like him!"

"Y-Yeah," I began, "I base some of my work off my boyfriend here."

"Oh, really~?" Ness inquired. "Is that so?"

I shyly nodded.

Ms. Atkins chuckled. "He makes wonderful sketches and paintings of you. You should see them sometime."

"Gladly," Ness responded with a grin.

Ms. Atkins checked her watch. "Well, I'll be away for a bit. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes. Lucas, you can sit anywhere you want for now." She left the room without another word.

Ness walked over to one of the classroom windows. "Heh, good view," he said. referring to the sight of the baseball field. I walked over and checked it out, agreeing with him. "I'll be here and there, playing till 12:30 or so. If you finish early you can come watch me if I'm outside."

"Definitely," I said.

Ness grinned. "Well, I gotta get changed and get the team ready. I'll see you later?"

I nodded at him. Then, he put one arm around my back, pulled me closer and kissed me deeply. We made a final smile to each other before Ness headed out the door. I sat down in one of the seats and sighed. I pulled out my necklace and flipped it open, gazing into the picture I drew of Ness and myself. Then, I stared at the baseball field, dreaming about Ness playing.

* * *

**Lenne**: Gonna give a little tease for you guys. Next chapter, things are going to get a little juicy. Actually, it's going to be really juicy. I won't say what, but it will refer to something back in TOB. You're just gonna have to reread and figure it out. So until then, stay tuned!


	6. Old Friends

**Lenne**: Seriously, why does it feel like I write a long chapter and then it turns out to have even less words than the last chapter?

Oh well. Hope you guys are ready for the surprise.

**Warnings:** Slight cursing.

* * *

Chapter 6: Old Friends  


I went through art class with no problems. I was introduced by Ms. Atkins, and then we continued with a class project of freestyle sketching. We were to artistically present it in front of everyone describing what we had in mind while creating it, and why we chose it. At the end of class, Ness was already at the door waiting for me. He asked if I was watching him play, but I couldn't due to Ms. Atkins closing the window blinds.

We were both done with our schedule for today, and Ness was sure Claus and Ninten were as well. We made our way to the university entrance just as we had agreed on. The plan for our afternoon amusement was to go to the grand park.

Once Claus and Ninten arrived, we made our way to the grand park by car. Upon arriving in the parking lot, we got back together and chatted about our first destination.

"So, where to first?" Claus asked.

"Should we have lunch?" I suggested.

"Nah, we can eat later. Besides, you should get a little exercise," Ness said.

"Huh?" I questioningly stared at him. He pointed to my belly. "Oh..."

"You haven't worked out much for the past four years, huh?" Ness asked, teasing me.

"Yes I have!" I responded, lying. Honestly I didn't focus much about working out at all...

...Not after what had happened after Claus and I moved to Fourside.

"All right then, let's prove it with a little game of catch," Ness said.

"Ooh~" Ninten sang. He closed in on my ear. "You'll get to experience Ness' awesome baseball skills," he whispered.

"Y'sure that's fine?" Claus asked. "I mean, we don't have a ball or some gloves."

Ness smirked, "Don't worry, I already got them." He reached for the zipper of his backpack with ease, and pulled out four gloves with one hand. After securing them, he reached in it again and took out a baseball.

"Wow, prepared much?" Claus scoffed.

"What? I'm always ready if its baseball," Ness stated.

"Well, there's a clear spot over there!" Ninten pointed to a large, unoccupied area in the green field. "Let's go!" Ninten skipped to the destination as Claus hurringly followed behind. I ran alongside Ness to the spot.

Ness handed each of us a glove and we spread out with good distance between us. The objective of the game was simple: throw the ball, and catch the ball. For Ness, it was nothing. For Claus and Ninten, it was most likely easy. For me, not so much.

"I'll go easy on ya, Luke," Ness called to me. He smiled at me, and then turned to Claus with a confident smirk. "Let's see if you can still catch my fastballs!"

"Bring it on, Ness!" Claus said, preparing a catching stance.

While we were still in high school, Claus made a joke about baseball—how it seemed like a simple game of hitting, running, and catching. He had then mocked the pitcher believing that it was so easy to catch a ball. Ness decided to playfully prove him wrong by having him try to catch his fast pitches. The first time, Claus was stunned at how fast the ball came and dodged it. He was still a little shaken and couldn't catch the next few pitches, but eventually he caught them. Ness then stated he was going to get serious, throwing the balls with more force and speed than before. Claus had trouble again, but managed to pull through. However, I could tell Claus was a little frustrated about being wrong, and had a little grudge about being unable to catch Ness' fastballs before. They kept playing together, and while it was a little competition to Claus, they both had fun.

"Here goes!" Ness winded up his arm in a playful manner, but in the end he let loose a powerful throw. The ball broke through the air at lightning speed, and managed to land in Claus' gloved hand.

"W-Whoa!" Claus exclaimed, waving his hand up and down. "That hurt!"

"Hey, I see a little smoke!" Ninten pointed to the ball in Claus' glove, which gave off a little steam.

"Wow, you're right," I said.

"I'm stronger than before, just so you know," Ness said.

"Indeed..." Claus agreed. "Okay, Ninten, you're next!"

"Oh boy," Ninten smirked. Claus pitched with as much force as he could and threw it at Ninten, catching it with some effort.

"Nice!" Ness called.

"Lucas, you're next!" Without a second to prepare, Ninten hurled the baseball at me. I was caught off guard, and only managed to duck it. The ball hit a tree and then fell to the ground.

"I wasn't ready!" I stated.

"Sorry," Ninten called. Claus went over to retrieve the ball, but he stopped after someone else picked it up.

"Playing ball in the public park, Ness? That's unlike you." A familiar blonde girl approached us, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it as she made our way towards us.

"Oh, Paula!" Ness called. He ran over to her and we followed. "What're you doing here? I thought you were in class today."

"Ah, canceled, our professor's ill with food poisoning," she stated. "Just an F-Y-I, don't eat at Henny's Hot Dogs today."

"Noted," Ness replied.

"Ah, Claus, Lucas!" she exclaimed to us. "I'm glad to see you two again."

"Same here," Claus responded.

"So, what're you doing now?" Ninten asked.

"Oh, studying in the library with Ana and Poo," she said. "Jeff and Tony were supposed to meet us twenty minutes ago, so I'm out looking for them."

"Well, I haven't seen them today," Ness told.

"I thought so." Paula sighed, "Maybe they're at their 'secret spot' again..."

"Secret spot?" I inquired.

"Just a little alleyway behind Pao's Buffet where they make out, maybe a little more," Paula stated. "As far as I know, no one goes there except them."

"Maybe we should go there sometime, Clausy!" Ninten suggested. He bumped his elbow against Claus' arm, "Y'know, having 'fun' in a private, public area..."

Claus blushed, "S-Shut up! You get more than enough love from me at home!"

"But it's sexier in public~" Ninten said.

Paula giggled, "Well, I'm gonna go see if they're there." She gave the baseball back to Ness and began walking off. "Take care, guys!"

Ness waved back at her and then turned to us. "Well, let's get back to our game." He looked at me and patted my head. "Don't worry, I'll throw it lighter for you."

I shyly nodded and then we returned to our positions. Ness faced me with gentleness. He prepared a stance, and threw it in the same manner to me as he did with Claus, but the ball came at a slower, more noticeable speed. I reacted as quick as I could and caught the ball with my gloved hand, grinning with excitement.

"I caught it!" I exclaimed.

"Good job!" Ness called to me.

"Me next, me next!" Ninten shouted, waving his arms and jumping up and down.

Our game of catch continued on for a while. Claus and Ninten faced the wrath of Ness' fastballs, while I had an easier time. Though, Ninten was a little jealous of my special treatment, and gave me another surprise ball, but to my surprise, I caught it without effort. It made Ninten even more frustrated, but he got over it.

The game was good exercise for our arms and reaction ability. We all had fun, despite the few taunts and teasing made within the game. About thirty minutes passed before we decided to quit.

"All right, last pitch, give it to me!" Ness called to Ninten.

"Here goes!" Ninten was about to throw the ball, but he stopped in the middle of his stance and pointed behind Ness. "Behind you!"

Claus and I saw three guys behind Ness, all of of them having baseballs in hand. As Ness turned his head, two of the baseballs came flying at him. We all saw that Ness didn't have time to dodge. We feared Ness was going to get directly hit.

That wasn't the case. Instead of dodging, Ness quickly brought his two hands in front of him, catching one ball with ease in his gloved hand, as well as the other ball with his other bare hand. The ball came at an amazing speed, yet Ness didn't react to pain.

"Oh, it's you guys," Ness said, unamazed. We went up to Ness to check on him, but he looked just fine. Then, we examined the three males sneering at us. Ness seemed to have recognized them, and soon we all did. Two brown haired boys and one black haired boy from our middle school days grew up to live in a delinquent fashion—Jack, Eric, and Lee.

"You're the assholes from years ago!" Claus exclaimed. He began making a fist and took a step, "Why I oughta—"

Ness raised an arm and blocked Claus. "What do you guys want now?"

"You know what!" said the leader, Jack. "We're here to pay you back for getting us kicked out!"

"What does he mean?" I asked Ness.

"Oh, Ness caught them taking drugs so he reported them and they got kicked out of college," Ninten answered.

"Damn, that's sad," Claus said.

"Shut up, fag!" Eric shouted.

"What'd you call me?!" Claus took another step, but Ness stopped him again. The loudness from this location brought attention to people around us. Though, they didn't look like they were worried—rather, they knew what was going to happen and grinned.

Ness sighed. "Man, you guys just don't give up. Are you guys always idiots or just when I'm around?"

Jack frowned, "Bitch!" He threw the baseball in his hand and aimed at Ness' face. Ness didn't move. Instead, after putting the two baseballs in his glove hand, he caught the incoming ball with his other free hand. Again, there was no reaction from pain.

"Same old, same old." He looked at us, "Step away guys, I need some room." We did as told and walked backwards, observing what was going to happen next. Ness set the baseballs in his gloved hand, and grabbed one of them, tossing it up in the air and catchin git.

"This better be the last time I see you guys!" Ness exclaimed. He began making a pitching stance, then immediately hurled the ball. But he didn't stop—he turned again, grabbing the second ball from his other hand, and flung again, and continued once more with the last ball.

The baseballs hit their targets consecutively, knocking them over. Two of them were hit on the forehead, one of them in the nose. All of them grunted and groaned from the fall.

"AH! SHIT!" cried Jack. He wiped the blood coming from his nose and groaned. "Damn it! I'll get you next time!" He began to run away, followed by his two lackeys.

The surrounding public cheered for Ness. He smiled and waved at them until they began to leave, and then he returned to us.

"Dude, that was amazing!" Claus exclaimed.

"It was!" I added. "How did you do that?"

"Like I said, I'm stronger than before," Ness bragged to us. "The most I can throw in a row is five balls, but that's only because I haven't figured out how to steadily carry five balls with one glove yet."

"Screw that! I don't think I can even throw two in a row like that!" Claus responded.

"So, should I go arrest them again?" Ninten asked Ness.

"Nah, leave 'em alone this time, we got the rest of the day to spend together," Ness stated.

"All right," Ninten said.

* * *

We all had our lunch break at Smoothy Sally's. We ordered our beverages and sat at a table outside, waiting. Ness brought our drinks to us and we immediately began sipping of them.

"Ow!" Ninten held his head. "B-Brainfreeze!"

Claus let go of his drink and made a simple laugh. "That's what you get for drinking too fa—agh!" He began to hold his head as well.

Ness laughed at them, "You both are such dorks." I watched them suffer a brainfreeze as I continued drinking my vanilla milkshake, which then made me realize I was drinking a little too fast, so I slowed my pace.

"Good?" Ness asked me.

"Mm-hm!" I nodded to him. He patted my head and then took a sip of his drink, but he immediately stopped and pulled away.

"Blech, this isn't coke," Ness stated. "They got my order wrong, damn. I'll be right back, I'm gonna get a new drink." He got up from his chair and began to walk away.

"Whoa!" Ness' drink spilled onto the floor and some splashed onto Ness and myself, as well as the person Ness had bumped into.

"I'm so sorry!" Ness apologized. "Are you okay?"

The silver-haired boy tried to wipe the soda off of his pants and the bottom of his shirt. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"You okay, Ness?" Ninten asked.

The other boy perked up and stared at Ness. "Wait, you're Ness?" he asked.

"Yes...?" Ness questioned. Suddenly, he silently gasped. "Wait a second, that hair—you're...?"

"Yeah, it's me! Nick!" said the other boy.

"Nick?! _You're_ Nick?!"

"Uh-huh!" The other boy nodded.

"No way! I can't believe this!" Ness looked excited.

I was curious and a little worried. "Ness, who's this?" I asked him.

"Oh, right, um..." he looked at me nervously. "This is Nick, he's an old friend."

Nick grinned, "Actually, to be correct..."

_"...I was his ex-boyfriend."_


End file.
